Rectangular elongated pillows made of woven bamboo, porcelain or silk were quite popular in China. Most of the silk ones were thrown away in the past. However sometimes pillow ends survived and these four demonstrate the skills of the artisans who made them. All four are painstakingly embroidered with the so-called Peking stitch which consists of very small loops. And all four show auspicious objects. Just to name a few, a Brush Pot in the shape of a Rock (Longevity), a Sword (Warding off Evil), Paint Brushes (Most Certainly), a Fly Whisk (Whisking away Problems), a Feather Duster (Sweeping away Evil Spirits), a Halberd (High Position), Clouds (Granting of all Wishes), a Lingzhi Fungus (Longevity), a stringed instrument called ‘Qin’, a Chessboard, a Painting in a box and Books (the Four Scholarly Pursuits), Coins (Wealth), a ‘Qing’ Musical Stone (Celebrations), Auspicious Flowers, Auspicious Fruits, a Vase (Peace), a Cauldron (One of the Hundred Treasures) and more. The pillow ends date from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period (1912 – 1947). Acquired in 2009 at the Dongtai Lu market in Shanghai. Height 13 cm. Width 14 cm.